Railway flatcar for carrying containers



A ril 21, 1970 B. s. TERLECKY ET AL 3,

RAILWAY FLATCAR FOR CARRYING CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1968 0 m Y R m K G w m A N L I R My. N 6E s m w WW D D\ S. M r Y. B N B u m m w H m i .3 B L h L r 1L .9 .3 .R, 6: 3 mlllv w j a E n: W 15 q mm, wh Nu NN mu, mm mm E n u m u u U L Z m mm mm Qm h QM." m1 g mm g Q @PEK =n I m: E m

ATTORNEY April 21, 1970 B. s. TERLECKY ET AL 3,507,225

RAILWAY FLATCAR FOR CARRYING CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet I Filed Jan. 15, 1968 April 21, 1970 a. s. TERLECKY ET AL 3,507,225

RAILWAY FLATCAR FOR CARRYING CONTAINERS 5 Sheeias-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 15, 1968 April 1, 1970 B. s. TERLECKY ET AL 3,507,225

RAILWAY FLATCAR FOR CARRYING CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 15, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 4:

FIG. 6.

April 21, 1970 B. s. TERLECKY ET AL 3,50 5

RAILWAY FLATGAR FOR CARRYING CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 15, 1968 United States Patent O 3,507,225 RAILWAY FLATCAR FOR CARRYING CONTAINERS Boris S. Terlecky, St. Louis County, and Leonardus F. A.

Groh, Bridgeton, Mo., assignors to ACF Industries,

Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 697,816 Int. Cl. B61d 45/00 US. Cl. 105-366 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A railway fiatcar for carrying a plurality of containers with the containers adapted to rest on the upper surface of the deck. A pair of fixed corner supports engage one end of each container and a pair of movable container supports engage the other end of each container. Each movable support fits within at least a pair of longitudi nally spaced cutout portions of the deck and has a horizonal support plate that forms a continuation of the deck surface. Each movable container support is mounted for selected sliding movement along a guideway between the cutout portions of the deck for supporting containers of different lengths.

BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Heretofore, containers have been supported by corner supports or transverse bolsters at a height several inches above the deck. Thus, the bottoms of the containers have been supported only at the corners or ends of the containers. When carrying heavy ladings, such as machinery or equipment, it has been foundthat the unsupported bottoms of many containers are overstressed and failure may occur unless the bottoms are substantially reinforced.

The present invention provides corner supports for a container which permit the bottoms of the containers to rest on the surface of the deck during transit. Such an arrangement minimizes overstressing of the container bottoms during transit.

The container support includes a horizontal support plate which fits within a cutout portion of the deck and forms a continuation of the deck surface. Upon impact loads exerted against the railway car, a relatively small moment is exerted by the container against the corner supports. Since an edge of the deck which forms the cutout portion abuts an adjacent end edge of the support plate when the support plate is received within the cutout portion, relatively large shear forces may be easily dissipated when impact forces are exerted from one direction. The corner support is adapted to support containers of varying lengths and is movable between a pair of cutout portions of the deck. For this purpose, the corner support is mounted on a guide rod for longitudinal movement along the rod between the cutout portions and for pivotal movement into and out of a cutout portion.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIGURE 1 is a top plan of a railway flat car for carrying containers and embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the railway flatcar shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken generally along line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE 3 illustrating the movable container support;

FIGURE 5 is an elevation similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the movable container support pivoted upward- 1y for sliding movement to another support position for accommodating a container of a different length;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan of the movable corner support shown in FIGURES 4 and 5;

FIGURE 7 is a section taken generally along line 7-7 of FIGURE 6 and indicating the support for the movable container support;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged top plan of the fixed container support; and

FIGURE 9 is a section taken generally along line 9-9 of FIGURE #8.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of this invention, a railway fiat car is generally indicated 10 and includes a flat deck 12 secured between subjacent side sills 14 to form a generally level or flush deck surface. A center sill structure indicated generally at 16 extends the length of car 10 and transverse cross members 18 are secured between center sill 16 and side sills 14. Stringers 20 are secured between cross members 18 and deck 12.

Flat car 10 is adapted to carry containers of different lengths. Two lower corner supports generally indicated 22 are fixed to deck 12 as shown particularly in FIGURES 8 and 9 and comprise a pair of upstanding legs 24 and 26 extending perpendicularly to each other and secured, such as by welding, to the surface of deck 12. The upper extending ends of legs 24 and 26 are bent outwardly at 28, 30, respectively, to aid in guiding the lower corner .of a container C downwardly onto the deck surface. A

suitable lug 32 on leg 26 is adapted to releasably secure an arm 33 on a locking pin 34 extending within an opening 36 in leg 26 and an aligned opening in the lower corner of container C for restraining the container against upward movement.

Car 10, for example, may be around eighty-nine (89) feet long and adapted to carry four containers of either seventeen (17) feet in length or twenty (20) feet in length. For this purpose, two movable corner supports generally indicated 38 are provided for each container C. Each movable support 38 as shown particularly in FIG- U'RES 4-7 includes upstanding connected sides 40, 42 extending upwardly at right angles to each other and having outwardly turned upper end portions 44, 46 respectively. A fiat, horizontal plate 47 is secured to sides 40, 42 and forms with sides 40, 42 a pocket for the lower corner of a container. Side 40 has a lateral extension 48 with an opening 50. A lug 52 extending outwardly from the outer surface of leg 42 has an opening 54 longitudinally aligned with opening 50. A guide rod 55 having downwardly extending ends fixed to deck 12 extends through aligned openings 50, 54 to retain movable support 38 on car 10 and to permit a sliding movement of support 38 between two deck openings or cutout portions 56, 58. A retaining tab 59 on side 40 is adapted to releasably secure an arm 33A on a container locking pin 34A.

Deck cutouts 56, 58 are of slightly larger dimensions than lower plate 47 to secure plate 47 thereon as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. A retaining pin 60 having an enlarged end or head 62 extends from the underside of flat plate 47 and is adapted to releasably secure movable support 38 in position within deck cutouts 56, 58. Extending beneath each cutout portion 56, 58 is a plate 64 secured, such as by welding, to the adjacent side sill 14 and adjacent stringer 20. Plate 64 has an outwardly opening slot 66 therein adapted to receive pin 60 as shown in FIGURE 6. Secured along an end of plate 64 is a projection 68 extending upwardly to the upper surface of deck 12 as shown in FIG- URE 7. Flat plate 47 is adapted to abut extension 68. An open area '70 between the end of plate 64 opposite projection 68 and the adjacent edge of deck 12 permits a limited sliding movement of support 38 for releasing support 38 movement to another cutout after the container is unloaded. Thus, to move support 38 from cutout portion 56 to cutout portion 58 after the container is removed, support 38 is moved longitudinally to remove pin 60 from slot 66. Then, support 38 is pivoted upwardly about guide rod 55 to remove plate 47 from cutout 56. Next, support 38 is moved along rod 55 to cutout 58 and then pivoted downwardly into cutout 58. Pin 60 subsequently is secured within slot 66.

To prevent sup-port 38 from being pivoted outwardly beyond adjacent side sill 14, lug 52 and extension 48 have lower ends beveled at 71 which are adapted to engage the upper surface of deck 12 upon the outward pivoting of support 38 and thereby limit the outward pivoting of support 38 as shown particularly in in FIGURE 5.

Thus, a container may be suported on deck 12 with the bottom of the container in contact with the deck surface. The movable container supports 38 fit within openings or cutout portions of deck 12 and are movable between a plurality of the deck openings to accommodate containers of diiferent lengths.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway flat car for carrying a plurality of containers, a flat deck, a side sill extending along each side of the deck forming generally a continuation of the deck to provide a generally smooth deck surface across the entire fiat car, a pair of container supports for each container aligned transversely of the car adjacent one end of the container and fixed to the deck, each fixed container support including a pair of sides arranged at right angles to each other and extending vertically from the deck surface to restrain a container against horizontal movement, a pair of movable container supports for each container aligned transversely of the car adjacent the other end of each container, a pair of cutout portions in said deck adjacent each movable container support and spaced longitudinally of the deck, a guideway extending longitudinally of the car between each pair of spaced cutout portions, each container support being mounted on an associated guideway for sliding movement between the spaced cutout portions in a direction longitudinally of the car and for pivotal movement in a vertical plane transversely of the car, each movable container support having a lower generally horizontal plate adapted to fit selectively within either of an associated pair of cutout portions with said horizontal plate forming a continuation of the deck surface when received within a cutout portion and an adjacent end edge of the plate abutting an adjacent edge of the deck whereby any moment exerted by the container against the movable container support is easily transmitted to the deck, said supo-rt being pivoted into and out of the cutout portions for sliding movement along the associated guideway between the associated cutout portions whereby the support is adapted to support containers of different lengths, and means limiting the pivotal movement of each movable container support in a vertical plane so that the container support does not extend beyond the clearance limits of the fiat car when the container support is pivoted outwardly of a cutout portion.

2. In a railway flat car for carrying containers as set forth in claim 1, a support member for the movable container support at each cutout portion, and releasable interfitting means between the container support and an associated support member for releasably securing the container support to the support member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,002,440 5/ 1935 Owens --366 3,144,838 8/1964 Shaver et al. 105366 3,417,712 12/1968 Pulcrano et al. 105-368 DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.'R. 248-119 

